1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus for discharging ink onto a recording medium to record thereon.
2. Related Background Art
In recent years, an ink jet recording apparatus for discharging ink onto a recording medium for forming an image or the like has been spectacularly pervasive for office and home use. The pervasion owes not only to an improvement in the recording speed and a reduction in price, but also to higher definition of a recorded image. In order to achieve the higher definition of the recorded image, a reduced diameter and higher density of ink discharging ports of an ink jet recording head are indispensable, and as the result, the size of ink droplets discharged therefrom has also been reduced.
However, the reduction in size of the ink droplets has given rise to a problem that, when ink is discharged, a minute ink particles called ink mist are generated, and the ink mist disperses and stains a recording medium and the inside of the recording apparatus. Further, when the ink mist dispersed in the recording apparatus deposits on a mechanism for recording operation in the recording apparatus, means for controlling therefor, or the like, malfunction may be caused. In order to prevent the malfunction, the recording apparatus may be provided with a suction fan to employ a method of collecting the dispersed ink mist making use of the suction fan. However, a periphery of the recording head where influence by adhesion and deposition of the ink mist is the largest, and a periphery of the conveying mechanism of the recording medium have insufficient space for providing the fan, and accordingly, in order to provide the fan, the space therefor is required to be newly secured, which has risen a problem that the whole body of the recording apparatus becomes unnecessarily large. Further, even if the fan is provided, the ink mist is hard to be efficiently collected, and the ink mist may be dispersed in the wrong way. The existing status of things is that the above mentioned problems are still left unsolved. Furthermore, when the fan is provided, a countermeasure for noise from the fan is required to be taken, and this is another factor for making the recording apparatus unnecessarily larger in size.
An object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus, which is excelled in reliability, and capable of recording an image in a stabilized way for an elongated period of time by eliminating staining of the inside of the recording apparatus, or preventing the deposition of the ink mist on parts where malfunction is liable to be caused by deposition of stains, using efficient control over a dispersing direction of ink mist generated by the discharge of ink.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus wherein, while a fan is provided for eliminating malfunction by the ink mist generated at the time of discharging ink, the whole body of the apparatus is refrained from being unnecessarily enlarged, and noise of the fan is suppressed.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus for recording onto a recording medium using an ink jet recording head which discharges ink. The ink jet recording apparatus comprises a conveying means for conveying a recording medium, a head mounting means for mounting an ink jet recording head, and an air flow generating means for generating an air flow for transporting ink generated by the ink discharged from the ink jet recording head, floating in the inside of the ink jet recording apparatus, and unused for recording; wherein the head mounting means is for mounting the recording head such that ink is discharged toward a recording region located downward of the head mounting means, and is arranged in the forward of supporting members provided to stand for supporting the head mounting means, and the air flow generating means forms an air flow from the above to downward in the forward of the supporting members.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus having a conveying means for conveying a recording medium, a carriage for mounting a recording head which discharges ink to record onto the recording medium, and an air flow control means for controlling, by an air flow, a flow of ink generated at the time when the recording head discharges ink, comprises a plate-shaped chassis supporting the carriage for mounting the recording head such that ink is discharged toward a recording region located downward of the carriage, and the chassis is disposed in the rear of the carriage, wherein the air flow control means forms an air flow directed from the above to the downward in the forward of the chassis.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus including a conveying means for conveying a recording medium, a carriage for reciprocally traveling a recording head which discharges ink to record onto the recording medium in a direction which crosses the recording medium conveying direction, and an air flow generating means for generating an air flow for controlling a flow of ink mist generated at the time when the recording head discharges ink, wherein the air flow generating means blows air toward a means for traveling the carriage.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus including a conveying means for conveying a recording medium, a carriage for reciprocally traveling a recording head which discharges ink to record onto the recording medium in a direction which crosses the recording medium conveying direction, and an air flow generating means for generating an air flow for controlling a flow of ink when ink is discharged from the recording head; and the air flow generating means blows air toward the carriage.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus including a conveying means for conveying a recording medium, a carriage for reciprocally traveling a recording head which discharges ink to record onto the recording medium in a direction which crosses the recording medium conveying direction, and an air flow generating means for generating an air flow for controlling a flow of ink mist generated at the time when the recording head discharges ink, wherein the air flow generating means blows air toward the carriage.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus including a conveying means for conveying a recording medium, a carriage for reciprocally traveling a record head which discharges ink to record onto the recording medium in a direction which crosses the recording medium conveying direction, and an air flow generating means for generating an air flow to control a flow of ink generated at the time when the recording head discharges ink, wherein said air flow generating means are provided such that an air flow is generated in the carriage traveling direction at the time when the recording head discharges ink.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus including a conveying means for conveying a recording medium, a carriage for reciprocally traveling a recording head which discharges ink to record onto the recording medium in a direction which crosses the recording medium conveying direction, and an air flow generating means for generating an air flow to control a flow of ink generated at the time when the recording head discharges ink, wherein the air flow generating means has a blow fan for blowing air into a region where the carriage is traveled, and the blow fan is provided on the side of upstream relative to the carriage traveling direction at the time when the recording head discharges ink.